Cornell & Diehl Poplar Camp

It starts off with a respectable Virginia base, Yorktown. The Yorktown portion of this blend delivers rich, bready and dark fruity notes (which is heightened with the perique in this blend). The cavendish does what it usually does in non-aro blends; it slightly smooths off the rough edges. Outside of that, it is little evident. The Perique is strong yet not over powering.

This isnt an unique blend nor does it win awards for "Best in category". There are a number of va/pers I prefer. However it is one you can puff away on without having to concentrate on flavors or keeping it lit. I added a bit of Old Dark Fired to it for a little more "kick" with solid results.

6.5/10 (I gave Yorktown a 7/10)

I thought I reviewed this blend this past winter (2019) but needless to say, I did not, and I am glad I hadn't. Because now coming back to Yorktown, in the figurative sense, I find it to be much more appealing than I did before. I watched a video on YouTube from Cornell and Diehl with their master blender Jeremey Reeves talking about the Virginia tobaccos they use in their blends, which are primarily brights and reds. I watched him describe the two types that he had in two clay pipes in the video and breakdown the taste variety in each tobacco. I found this to be very intriguing, which in turn led me to think about what blends I had by C & D that were only VAs and Yorktown was spot on. This blend is pretty much identical to what he was smoking, excepts the reds and brights were blended together.

**REVIEW** This is a fantastic blend. I have been smoking this on and off all day and it could easily and likely be my go-to all-day blend. There are very light zesty, citrusy notes from the bright VAs and a very nice amount of sweetness here but by no means overpowering. It gives off nuances of green apple, warm bread, croissants, and an almond-like nutty taste. The reds come through in a richer fashion which produces notes of figs, some dark fruit, and caramel and molasses undertones. Overall this blend is well balanced, produces no bite, and needs a fair amount of relights. It's well rounded in the sense that it hits on the lighter and darker notes of both Virginias. The flavors are picked up in every puff and are consistent from start to finish. Yorktown's pleasant sweetness is also noticeable in the room note which smells very nice. It does not get harsh, but I would recommend a slower puffing cadence to really experience all this wonderful blend has to offer. I intend on buying this blend in bulk as it is not overly complex, but extremely satisfying. By all means an all-day smoke.

I ordered a couple ounces of this on a whim. Wow, what a pleasant surprise! I stumbled onto a new favorite Va/Per that smokes cool and bite-free, and has a subtle complexity.

There's a little rough edge from the perique, but in general I think this blend is a little more refined than some similar American blends I've tried recently. Full-flavored but easy to smoke, which allows the fairly strong nicotine to sneak up on you. I think the flavors of the different tobaccos in this blend create a somewhat unusual flavor for a Va/per, leading some to think it has an added topping. I think C&D came up with something special from only a few ingredients. It's a good bargain too.

Edit: I took off a star because of that rough edge. It didn"t bother me as much after just a few bowls, but after a couple ounces I don't think it should be highly recommended. Still, it's a solid VA/per and a good value.

This is a tobacco that never disappoints me. For my taste, this is one of the more approachable C&D blends (it's not harsh). I would not classify this as an aromatic or anything close to it. I don't taste any flavoring at all. I wonder if other reviewers are tasting the Cavendish when they refer to flavoring(?). I find the Virginias in this blend wonderful. The Perique is not as strong as advertised. Over all a very interesting and involved smoke that keeps me coming back for more.

Cornell & Diehl - Poplar Camp.

As you can see from the picture Poplar Camp's made up of very fine ribbons. Being as it's from bulk there's no sealed in moisture to contend with, it arrives nicely aired in the loose pouch.

For the first quarter the smoke has more citrus to it, but as the pipe burns the citrus note fades. The Perique's tangy, zesty, and sharp, and is without question the most prominent of the leaves. The black Cavendish has been included very lightly and only gives the smoke a very gentle 'smoothing'. Poplar' burns consistently enough, but can be too fast if puffed forcefully. Vigorous puffs increase the temperature, too.

Nicotine: above medium. Room-note: strong.

Poplar Camp? A bit too heady for me. Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

VaPer lovers will find this acceptable, but in general, a waste of time and money in their never-ending quest for the ultimare VaPer. If you're searching for that blend which unseats Escudo, this ain't it. This is more like Prince Albert with a little more pizzazz -- that's all. I don't find this particularly "stout", nor do I see the comparison to Bayou Morning -- which is what drew me in.

A two star rating may seem unnecessarily dismissive because this is an entirely serviceable blend (if you're flat out of tobacco), but there are many, many better blends to try. Don't waste you money here.

Cornell & Diehl - Poplar Camp

Similar flavor profile to Bayou Morning, but in comparison the perique is less, the virginia is somewhat muted (but far from being mute!).  And then there's the black cav, unflavored and unsweetened to smooth things out a bit.

As noted in some of it's reviews, Bayou Morning can have kind of an "edge" (a quality that I find charming), I have yet to find that edge in this blend, unless it gets too dry.  It's a smoother blend, I wouldn't go so far as to say "light" as it still has some power both of nicotine and of flavor.

All in all a good va/p I have no issues with recommending.

My first Va/per was McClellan's Bayou Slice so I really couldn't put Poplar Camp in comparison to much else( I'm a Latakia smoker) in the Va/per category. What I can be sure of is that the 4oz of Poplar Camp that I bought Christmas 2014 is still in a mason jar with just two pipe bowls missing. The Virginia's came out swinging and didn't quit till I surrendered half way through the bowl. If you like cigarettes you'll like poplar camp. I don't smoke a pipe to taste cigarettes, just me. As Bayou slice leaves a sweet aftertaste after the sip, Poplar leaves a mouth full of nastiness. We'll retry this blend in the fall after almost a year of aging.

This is definitely a Perique forward blend. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it is still balanced and well blended. Shipped very dry, however, it did not seem to affect how this blend smoked. Usually a dry tobacco smokes harsh, and is difficult to get along with. Not Poplar Camp. Packs and lights easily, requires very few relights and little attention. Pairs well with any bourbon or mild scotch.